Bells, horns, shouts and applause welcomed the Ada Mae to her dock beside Persimmons Restaurant Saturday as she symbolically brought home this year’s Christmas trees.

Children, excited with Christmas spirit ran along the dock knowing the holiday had just arrived and they would be home in a few hours decorating a tree shipped in by the Ada Mae.

Malinda Breda of New Bern brought her 6-year-old son Emerson to watch the only North Carolina working skipjack sail up the Neuse River and dock beside Persimmons.

“He loves it,” Breda said. “We come every year. They love to get a Christmas tree off the boat. It’s become a great tradition with us.”

Jill Thompson of New Bern brought her five children ranging in ages from seven to four.

“It is a wonderful experience, especially for the kids,” she said. “It’s fun for them.”

Thompson’s daughter, Josie Paige, 6, watched the volunteers unload 20 Christmas trees from the cargo hull with a large smile on her face.

“They have a lot of work to do,” she said.

Capt. Jay Manning said the annual shipment of Christmas trees aboard the Ada Mae is symbolic for a time when working boats traveled the rivers. Before the hour-and-half journey up and down the Neuse River, the children who went along were told the story of how a traditional Christmas tree boat was lost in a violent storm on the Great Lakes 101 years ago.

Although the Ada Mae’s journey is a celebration of Christmas, it is also a reminder of the large, three-mast schooner, Rouse Simmons, that was sunk during a violent storm in 1912 on Lake Michigan. The Rouse Simmons was hauling Christmas trees from Wisconsin to Chicago when it was struck by a powerful squall and was never seen again, Manning said.

“Because this is the last working skipjack in North Carolina, we are carrying on that workboat tradition,” he said.

Proceeds from the Christmas tree sale go to the Carolina Coastal Classroom that sponsors the event. The money is used to teach youths about the coastal waters and maritime heritage through hands-on experience, Manning said.

Ben Bunn, president and CEO of Carolina Coastal Classrooms, said this is the eighth year the Ada Mae has arrived with Christmas trees. A total of 48 Christmas trees from Boone were presold this year, he said.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.